"Thus it is said that one who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be endangered in a hundred engagements."
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

Monday, July 16, 2012

USNS Rappahannock Fires after Vessel ignores warnings

By U.S. Naval Forces Central Command
Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- An embarked
security team aboard a U.S. Navy vessel fired upon a small motor vessel after
it disregarded warnings and rapidly approached the U.S. ship near Jebel Ali,
United Arab Emirates today.

In accordance with Navy force protection
procedures, the sailors on the USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) used a series of
non-lethal, preplanned responses to warn the vessel before resorting to lethal
force.

The U.S. crew repeatedly attempted to
warn the vessel's operators to turn away from their deliberate approach. When
those efforts failed to deter the approaching vessel, the security team on the
Rappahannock fired rounds from a .50-caliber machine gun.